Jamaica- A Reveler’s Paradise

The island country of Jamaica is really for those who love living life king size! If you are looking for unlimited musical wild fun, then Jamaica is the right place for you. Dance, music, costume parades and feasting- are all part of the Jamaican tradition and all this is at its best during Christmas.

Integral to the Christmas traditions of Jamaica is the Jonkunnu; a Christmas parade where participants dressed in colorful masquerade costumes parade through the city. Reflective of this island country’s evolutionary culture, this dance form called Jonkanoo is a blend of African and European influences. Although the Jonkunnu has now been restricted to rural Jamaica, anyone who ever experienced or witnessed this art form has created lasting memories for oneself.

In the parade, men and women wear beautiful and vibrant costumes, often, enacting several characters. Red, green and yellow are traditional Jamaican colors which are used liberally in most of the costumes. Most common traditional costumes worn in Jamaica during Christmas are head bands of red, yellow and green colors accompanied by a waist band. Revelers often dress up depicting characters like policemen, horse head, horned cow head, devil, bride and the like.

Christmas time in Jamaica is the most celebrated time of the year. If you happen to be in the island country during the period extending from mid-December to early January, you would get a taste of Jamaican festivity spirit. The preparations for the holiday season begin days before the actual event. The entire country reverberates with the sound of the most infectious Jamaican music and folk dance.

Entertainment does not end with non-stop catchy reggae music and passionate Jonkunnu or Maypole or Quadrille dancing. Even the Christmas decorations in Jamaica speak volumes about the country’s festivity mood. Balloons, streamers, bells, colorful ribbons are used to decorate the Jamaican towns. During Christmas, another attraction in Jamaica is a community fair organized on Christmas Eve called the Grand Market. The market had an excellent assortment of Jamaican crafts, toys, decorations, Jamaican specialties, firecrackers and so on.

Like Christmas around the world, the holiday season in Jamaica is also marked with feasting, family reunions, gift exchanging and dance and music. Jamaican Christmas Decorations are simple and yet lively and the Christmas traditions in Jamaica are reflective of European influences with African roots.

Visit this beautiful island country this holiday season and get a taste of what it means to live life King size!